Remember five years ago when a certain China carmaker announced that it was ready to unveil a Ford F-150 clone? Well, it looks like another copycat has sprung to the fore, only this time looking more audacious than the last.
Reports from China reveal that the maker of this F-150 Raptor-inspired pick-up truck is called Projen, a subsidiary of Lifan, whose name boldly dominates the front and rear section of the vehicle. Up front, it’s obvious where the design inspiration comes from, with the headlamps taken straight off the 13th-generation Ford F-150 and the blacked-out hexagonal grille from the Raptor.
Other familiar items include silver skid plate and side steps, big wheels wrapped with meaty tyres and tailgate design. Even the tail lamps bear great resemblance to the Raptor (and to a certain extent, the Mitsubishi Triton). The only thing Projen doesn’t have access to is Ford’s range of powertrains, but word is its “Raptor” copy may benefit from a 2.5 litre turbodiesel engine.
As for the original copier JAC, Ford managed to stifle production by securing design patents of the Raptor in China, effectively preventing it from seeing the light of day. At the time, the Raptor was still based on the 12th-generation F-150.
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Humans who have any sense of pride, dignity, self worth will never do this.
That is why the Scandinavians are a shining example…..
who cares in China… as long can produce n sales.
IF everyone copies each other like nobodies business, then wheres the need for innovation & development?
This is not a blatant copy. It is just “inspired” by the raptor, as this pickup is smaller in size than the real Raptor. This projen is similar in size to the hilux/triton. On the other hand, something like the Landwind X7 is a copy.
It copies many design cues from the more famous Ford.
LEL China mmg boleh!
China always copy one lah..
I read Proton initially
well…what you expect from China…fake everything.
I wonder when China car maker want to fabricate luxury car like Ferrari, Lamborghini, RR…????
RR done !
You guys got it totally wrong. In China, to demonstrate level 1 capability, you produce a good copy from zero, without buying ready made parts from the original manufacturer and financial support from the government. That means one needs a very good engineering, manufacturing skill and financial prudence. Visually it may look alike but the parts do not 100% fit the original. This takes engineering computation & not merely copy from the same moulding. To achieve this, one will need to have access to all manufacturing equipments. Level 2 capability companies are those that have move on further to produce original design products. To China, drawing & designing are the easiest to accomplish. These level 2 companies can then compete very effective worldwide as by then, investors will be queing up to invest in these companies with strong financial results. If you are an investor, would you put your money in a company like Proton or these level 2 companies? For those who criticize these copy cat companies, can you produce a simple nut & bolt without buying a ready made one from the shop?
Is the copy a mid-size or a full-size pick-up?